Military suicide rate drops

Active duty decrease coupled with National Guard increase

Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a doctor in the Office of the Army Surgeon General, discusses suicide among American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, in this May 29, 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Associated Press

Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a doctor in the Office of the Army Surgeon General, discusses suicide among American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, in this May 29, 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The suicide rate for active duty troops dropped several points in 2013 compared to the previous year, while the National Guard rate increased slightly, according to statistics released today by the Department of Defense.

The average annual rate for calendar year 2013 among active duty Marines, sailors, soldiers, and airmen was 18.7 per 100,000 service members, down from 22.7 in 2012, according to the first of a new Pentagon initiative to report military suicide statistics quarterly.

The National Guard had the highest suicide rate last year among all the components at 28.9, up from 28.1 in 2012.

Among active duty troops, the Army and Marine Corps had the highest rates last year, at about 23 per 100,000. In 2012, the Army rate was 29.7 and the Marine rate was 24.3, the Pentagon reported.

By comparison, the civilian rate in 2010 adjusted for Marine Corps demographics was 22, according to the latest information available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the first six months of 2014, the Marine Corps reported 28 suicides, 103 attempts, and 450 cases of suicide ideation, or individuals fantasizing about suicide without taking action, according to its July report.

The most common scenario among Marines who took their own lives this year was a married Caucasian man between the ages of 21 and 25, with a military rank of corporal or sergeant, who died by gunshot.

Reported suicide attempts by Marines had climbed in previous years, from 179 in 2012 to 243 in 2013, while the number of suicides held about steady at 59 in 2012 and 56 last year.

“The Department of Defense considers one loss to suicide too many, and will continue to do everything possible to prevent suicide in our military,” the department said today in a press release.

The Pentagon said it released its first quarterly suicide report in line with “efforts to better understand suicide among all its components.”

Suicide prevention resources for service members and their families who may be facing challenges can be found here.